Stanford vs. Cal Men's Basketball Could Make or Break Cardinal's Season

One of the best rivalries in the country will take place this weekend.

On Saturday night, the Stanford Cardinal will take on the California Golden Bears. “The Big Game” is one of the best rivalries in college sports, as the two Bay Area powers will go head-to-head once again.

On December 7th, Stanford travelled up to Berkeley for game one of the rivalry this season, and for the first time since 2021, the Cardinal went north and took care of business.

In that game, the Cardinal trio combined for 56 points, with Maxime Raynaud and Jaylen Blakes having 20 apiece, and Oziyah Sellers putting up 16.

Cal saw three players put up double digits, with Mady Sissoko getting 11, Jovan Blacksher Jr. having 14, and Andrej Stojaković leading with 25. Stanford ultimately won that game 89-81, dominating the entire game.

This Saturday, the Bears will make the trip down south to take on Stanford.

Both teams have had strong seasons, completely defying expectations. Stanford currently sits at 16-10 overall, while being 8-7 in conference play. As a projected bottom three team, being able to be a top team in the conference has meant Stanford has been defying the odds all season.

Cal currently is 12-14, and pushing for a .500 season. In conference play, they are 5-10, sitting in 14th place in the ACC. Considering they were a consensus bottom two team entering the season, being able to get five wins is an upgrade from expectations.

The game on Saturday will determine who has had more of an impressive inaugural season in the ACC. Although Stanford looks like they will be heavy favorites, the Bears stealing a win in Palo Alto amid their two-game losing streak will turn their losing streak from push to shove.

The biggest matchup to look forward to is Maxime Raynaud vs Andrej Stojaković. Although both play different positions, they will be going at it, especially on the offensive end. Raynaud is averaging 19.9 points per game, with 11.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists, one steal, and one block. Stojakovic is putting up 17.7 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.1 blocks.

Obviously, the matchup will be even more intense considering Stojaković transferred to Cal after his Freshman season at Stanford. In the first matchup, the guard had 25 points, but took 25 shots to make that happen.

He was blocked seven times, and struggled to score on the Cardinal defense. He will play his first game in Maples Pavilion since the transfer. The Farm will give him a tough time and let him hear it, which could bring Stojaković off his game.

The Big Game will be a thriller this weekend, and will be a great indicator of both of the Power Five Bay Area programs, and where they truly are in their program rebuilds.